The Survival of the Richest: An Analysis of the Relationship between the Sciences of Biology, Economics, Finance, and Survivalism is Dr. Anthony M. Criniti IV’s remarkable follow-up to his acclaimed book, The Necessity of Finance. Exploring in greater depth how the sciences of economics and finance are necessary for their respective entities to survive, this book integrates some of the hardest concepts of several very important fields of scientific inquiry.
Deriving serious conclusions on the future of humanity, this provocative work is divided into five parts that discuss the science of survival, survivalism’s connection to economics and finance, the relationship of biology and various reformed natural selection processes to wealth, and the role of humans as the ultimate universal manager.
Dr. Criniti provides a comprehensive overview of survival; clarifies the proper order of prosperity; shows that being wealthier increases your probability of continuously surviving and prospering by providing you the greatest options to obtaining survival essentials; indicates that wealthier entities have the option to help other economic or financial entities (including nonhuman ones) survive and prosper, particularly through the concepts of the survival and the prosperity by a third party; demonstrates the inevitable relationship between biology, economics, finance, and survivalism; demonstrates that both individuals and populations of species evolve; summarizes, reforms, and adds to existing evolutionary selection processes; confirms that the management of money, and the technology that it can buy, is an advanced, necessary stage in the process of evolution—that is, the evolution of evolution; demonstrates that the survival of the richest is a more accurate concept than the survival of the fittest; and shows that all humanity should have the united goal of maximizing our wealth for our survival on this planet and beyond.
This seminal work delivers a powerful analysis of the current human predicament as well as a call to people around the world, urging them to begin making better decisions. In the vein of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, this book is designed for the well-educated—though it is equally valuable for the layperson interested in helping to protect the planet.
Assessment:
Idea: The author's in-depth analysis of survival in both life and in finance is extremely thorough, and often fascinating. The author draws from the fields of economics, history, philosophy, and biology, to examine how wealth shapes and drives our species.
Prose: The author presents detailed technical information in a clear, methodical manner that allows for complex concepts and theories to be readily understood. The work is somewhat lacking in narrative warmth, however. The book's many intriguing dimensions may be enhanced through a more distinctive, guiding voice.
Originality: Criniti's vision is ambitious, thought-provoking, and broadly researched. The philosophical approach to the topic of finance and the underpinnings of wealth, are deeply intriguing.
Execution: This work is dense in terms of content, but Criniti breaks concepts down into digestible portions. While the work will likely find a niche audience, the multidisciplinary approach to the topic may broaden its appeal.
Date Submitted: October 09, 2020
Criniti’s provocative, multidisciplinary magnum opus, an expansion on ideas introduced in The Necessity of Finance, challenges the ethos of selfish individualism that prevails in the popular business press. As in his previous book, Criniti asserts that the science of finance is the science of survival for an individual or organization. Here he probes and expands that thesis, making the case that the urge he calls “survivalism,” rooted in Darwin’s evolutionary biology and in Herbert Spencer’s concept of “the survival of the fittest,” is intimately bound with finance and economics. Survivalism accounts for the human drive to achieve prosperity, which he defines as “the progressive state after successful survival that occurs through an accumulation of wealth.” He argues that this evolutionary yearning for prosperity carries with it a responsibility to ensure the whole planet enjoys the same.The wealthy, Criniti notes, enjoy more options for survival, but that means nothing if the planet as a whole fails to survive. He contends that survivalism must not simply be an individual pursuit and calls for readers to “wake up” and recognize humankind’s collective responsibility “to protect our planet and all of its life-forms” and stave off the sixth mass extinction that has already begun. He draws upon the work of philosophers, evolutionary biologists, and even Chris “American Sniper” Kyle to make his pressing case.
Criniti sets himself apart from other personal finance writers with his thorough, rigorous crafting of arguments. He examines each piece of evidence meticulously, guiding readers through his thought process step by step. Criniti will never settle for a received idea or a shorthand definition; he breaks all key terms down to their essence, building his assertions on firm foundations. This honest, challenging book will encourage wealth-focused readers to reexamine the idea that selfish success is possible in a fundamentally interconnected world.
Takeaway: Readers looking for a grand unified theory of personal and collective prosperity will be deeply impressed by this cogently argued thesis.
Great for fans of Arthur E. Gandolfi, Anna Sachko Gandolfi, and David P. Barash’s Economics as an Evolutionary Science: From Utility to Fitness; Jared Diamond.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: -
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Article by Dr. Finance at Thrive Global called How Long Can We Stay Alive Without Survival Essentials?
The Survival of the Richest Wins Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Book Award at the 2020 International Book Awards Contest
